Fans of plucky aerospace underdogs, moment of silence, please. NASA’s beloved Mars Helicopter Ingenuity, the whimsical drone that soared through thin Martian air like a cosmic hummingbird, has officially closed its metaphorical flight log for good. After spending several weeks whispering into the void and hoping for a mechanical miracle, NASA has accepted that Ingenuity’s rotor blade did in fact suffer irreparable damage during a recent landing in January, and that the helicopter will never fly again. Which, to be fair, is still slightly better than how most terrestrial drones fare in suburban backyards after ten minutes.
Ingenuity, which was originally designed to last for just five flights but seemingly caught the Silicon Valley bug for overachievement, racked up 72 flights over nearly three years. It became the first aircraft to fly on another planet, performed reconnaissance flights like a robotic spy pigeon, and generally made Earth-based aviation look a little unambitious. But on its final flight in January, things took a turn for the tragic when it appeared to land a bit too energetically, damaging a rotor blade and leaving ground control in silent dread. Engineers tried every trick in the Martian troubleshooting manual, but after weeks without better news, the conclusion has come: this bird is permanently grounded.
NASA’s Ingenuity project manager Teddy Tzanetos, with all the professional stoicism one gains from managing flying robots light-minutes away, confirmed there was no way to bring the helicopter back to life. A recent flyby from the Perseverance Rover provided photographic proof in what was perhaps the loneliest forensic analysis in aeronautical history. The imagery showed one of Ingenuity’s rotor blades looking unnervingly like the arm of someone who absolutely did not stick the landing.
Still, as spacecraft eulogies go, this one comes with honors. “Ingenuity’s flawless performance has inspired the next generation of Mars aerial vehicles,” Tzanetos said, suggesting that even in final rest, Ingenuity is playing the role of Martian role model. NASA says the copter’s mission has already informed the design of Dragonfly, a future chopper planned for Saturn’s moon Titan, because what is better than flying over one alien world if not two?
Though Ingenuity’s flying days are over, Perseverance will occasionally swing by the crash site like an unhelpful neighbor checking in, and may possibly send the odd update. Unfortunately, no amount of rover visits will transform the helicopter back into a spry little flyer unless Mars suddenly gains a robust aviation repair industry.
So while Ingenuity won’t be zipping through Martian skies anymore, it has secured something arguably better: a permanent place in the planetary hall of fame and a cameo in future space trivia nights hosted by engineers.
The first aircraft on another planet now rests in peace, which is more than most Spirit Airlines passengers can say.